This isn’t exactly shocking news, as Sony has already made it clear that all of their PC releases will require a PSN account, but here it goes: the newly released Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered will require a PlayStation Network account on PC.
The news was shared via Jan-Bart van Beek’s PlayStation blog. Guerrilla’s studio director and studio art and animation director discuss Zero Dawn’s version. There are a ton of upgrades currently on the way, and game owners will be able to get them all for $9.99 when it launches on October 31st.
When it comes to the PC version, there’s a small note that states: “PlayStation Network account required on PC.”
Again, this isn’t a shock as the recently released God of War: Ragnarok and Ghost of Tsushima both have the exact same requirements. However, God of War: Ragnarok suffered negative reviews from many Steam users due to its PSN requirements, although it did have a “mostly positive” rating.
In fact, someone has successfully released a mod that removes the PSN requirement.
Personally, the need for an account doesn’t actually bother me, but I can understand why it would annoy others. It shouldn’t be necessary, especially for single-player games, and the only reason it exists is for data collection so Sony can bolster its PSN numbers. Complaints about the system are entirely valid, with UK users for example finding they need to provide their mobile phone number and, failing that, some form of identification to a third-party website. Other users said they were frustrated by having to hand over information such as their home address. Sony doesn’t have a good track record when it comes to security, so people have a legitimate right to be concerned about providing their personal data, especially since they get nothing out of the deal.
I think it would be a better decision for Sony to make this account optional. It’s also possible to offer some form of fun bonus or incentive for making one. That said, I think people will care less and less as this becomes the norm going forward, and while it’s painful, I can’t imagine Sony being overly concerned that most people won’t buy its games because of it. Still, why lose those sales, no matter how small they might be in the grand scheme of things?
